(RightWing.org) – On August 29, Russian mercenary Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin’s family quietly buried him at a private ceremony at Porokhovskoye Cemetery in St. Petersburg. A few hours earlier, the Kremlin announced President Putin would not attend the funeral service.
Russian media reported that the Kremlin did its best to restrict media coverage of the event. However, a recent report from Moscow indicated Putin was preparing for another mutiny in the wake of the Wagner Group head’s death.
Putin Prepares for Another Mutiny
On August 28, the Russian Language version of the Moscow Times reported that Kremlin officials believe a new military rebellion could occur in the wake of Prigozhin’s August 23 death in a fiery plane crash. The news agency talked to four unnamed individuals with connections to Russian law enforcement officials and the Kremlin.
According to them, Prigozhin made a lasting impression on Putin when he came within 200 km (roughly 124 miles) of Moscow during his ill-fated June 24 coup d’é·tat. As a result, Russian intelligence services recently started working overtime to try to prevent a repeat of that mutiny.
Newsweek spoke about the possibility of another armed rebellion with Nikola Mikovic, a Serbia-based geopolitical analyst and researcher who specializes in the foreign policies of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. He discounted the idea that the remnants of the Wagner Group would mount another mutiny. Instead, he thinks Russian military services would “attempt to force another rebellion.”
Mikovic predicted the Russian military wouldn’t try to overthrow Putin due to his “relatively high” approval rating. He theorized they would turn the Russian armed forces’ Chief of General Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister Valery Gerasimov.
The analyst also thinks they would try to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu. He also serves as the head of the Commonwealth of Independent States’ Council of Defense Ministers. Ironically, Prigozhin targeted Gerasimov and Shoigu instead of Putin during his June rebellion.
A separate report published by The Moscow Times revealed that Putin signed a decree directing all paramilitary fighters to swear an oath of loyalty to the Russian flag. The president reportedly issued that proclamation two days after the presumed death of Prigozhin.
The presidential decree said it was aimed at “forming” the moral and spiritual foundations necessary to defend the Russian Federation. It also applied to “voluntary formations” members, a term commonly used to denote mercenary groups.
Prigozhin’s Legacy
Prigozhin’s death may have forever silenced his voice and thrown the future of his business empire, including control of the Wagner Group, into question. However, according to recent news reports, his popularity among ordinary Russians remains high.
Makeshift memorials appeared countrywide, and much of Russia’s population remains in mourning. Former Putin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov predicted that although Prigozhin frightened people while he was alive, his popularity will rise as the situation at the Ukrainian front worsens.
Ilya Kablukov, a Siberian resident, paid his respects to the fallen leader on an online group dedicated to the Wagner Group. He said Prigozhin was like a “cheerful distant relative” to “every Russian family.”
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